Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAKU327
2006-03-01 13:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baku
Cable title:  

BEYOND BTC - AZERBAIJAN SEEKS FURTHER ROLE FOR

Tags:  ENRG ECON EPET AJ KZ GG TR RU IR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 000327 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SNEC AND EB/ESC
USDOE FOR FE - SWIFT AND OS - WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016
TAGS: ENRG ECON EPET AJ KZ GG TR RU IR
SUBJECT: BEYOND BTC - AZERBAIJAN SEEKS FURTHER ROLE FOR
CASPIAN ENERGY IN EUROPE

REF: BAKU 305

Classified By: Ambassador Reno L. Harnish, III, reasons 1.5 (b),(d) an
d (e).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 000327

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SNEC AND EB/ESC
USDOE FOR FE - SWIFT AND OS - WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016
TAGS: ENRG ECON EPET AJ KZ GG TR RU IR
SUBJECT: BEYOND BTC - AZERBAIJAN SEEKS FURTHER ROLE FOR
CASPIAN ENERGY IN EUROPE

REF: BAKU 305

Classified By: Ambassador Reno L. Harnish, III, reasons 1.5 (b),(d) an
d (e).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Azerbaijan's MFA, in cooperation with State
Oil Company SOCAR, sponsored a "High-Level Meeting on the
Issues of Energy Security of Europe" on February 24.
Representatives of several European countries, the European
Commission, and Iran attended. Although the subject matter
was not new to Baku-based energy experts, the conference
showed Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine interest in bringing
about new transportation corridors for Caspian energy to
Europe besides the BTC oil pipeline and the SCP gas pipeline.
Potential European customers and the European Commission
delegate expressed positive interest. The next step, and the
challenge, will be to bring industry into this discussion and
move to practical work. The GOAJ indicated its interest in
following up with another meeting during the Caspian Oil and
Gas Show in June. END SUMMARY.

--------------
ATTENDEES
--------------


2. (C) Azerbaijan's MFA, in cooperation with State Oil
Company SOCAR, sponsored a "High-Level Meeting on the Issues
of Energy Security of Europe" on February 24. The
representatives at the conference, several at the deputy
minister level, were from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland,
Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and the United
States. A European Commission representative was also
present. The Kazakhstan delegation included several
representatives from KazMunaiGaz (KMG) and KMG's executive
director, Kayirgeldy Kabyldin. The Greek representative was
accompanied by two officials from DEPA, the Public Gas
Corporation of Greece. The Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldovan
delegations included members of the Energy Ministries of
those countries, and Austria was represented by a department

head from the MFA (the Austrian representative did not
indicate if he was attending in Austria's EU capacity).
Turkmenistan was invited but declined to atte
nd. Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov and senior SOCAR
official Elshan Nazirov chaired the conference.


3. (C) The two Iranian representatives were silent throughout
the conference. One of them occasionally photographed the
screen on which the conference's PowerPoint presentations
were being projected. The Greek DCM later said that, when
she had asked the GOAJ why the Iranians had been invited, the
GOAJ had pleaded a need for "balance." According to the
British Ambassador, an earlier invitation list for this
conference had excluded the United States, Britain and most
of the EU members. The Greek DCM said that the guest list
was changed after the EU and others complained, on the
grounds that they are the markets Caspian energy is trying to
reach. The British Ambassador reported a similar interaction.

--------------
ALL URGE DIVERSIFICATION...
--------------


4. (C) The conference began with both the MFA and SOCAR
giving short presentations emphasizing the oil and gas
reserves of the Caspian region in general and of Azerbaijan
in particular. The presentations did not include any new
information. The floor was then given to KMG executive
Kabyldin who gave a presentation on Kazakhstan. Kabyldin
listed several energy projects in which Kazakhstan is
involved, including CPC and the oil pipeline to China, but
provided few details. Interestingly, the Kashagan-BTC and
Tengiz-BTC projects were lumped together under the obsolete
name "Aktau-BTC," even though the Kashagan project has long
since selected Kurik, not Aktau, as its port. Kabyldin said
that the cross-Caspian Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for
this project had already been negotiated, although post
understands that Azerbaijan was just presented with a new
draft IGA that is elicting diverse opinion among Baku policy
makers. Interestingly, Kabyldin said that KMG's vision for

BAKU 00000327 002 OF 003


the future is to transport both
oil and gas to international markets, although his only
specific mention of gas was when he noted that Kazakhstan
might send gas to China.


5. (C) The Ukrainian delegate stressed the importance of
Caspian and Central Asian energy resources and argued for
both diversity of supplies and of transit routes. This was
the general theme of everyone who spoke: the Brody-Odessa,
AMBO (Albania-Macedonia-Bulgaria),Burgas-Alexandroupolis,
Nabucco and Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline projects were all briefly
mentioned. In all cases, the sentiment seemed to be not to
favor one pipeline over another but to try to build as many
of them as possible to support diversity of transit routes.
"Everyone wants multiple corridors," said the Ukrainian
delegate.

--------------
...U.S. AND U.K. ALSO STRESS GOVERNANCE
--------------


6. (C) Ambassador stressed that the United States supports
diversification of Europe's energy supplies and transit
routes, noting the USG's support for the BTC and SCP
projects. Demand in Europe will only increase and cannot be
met by domestic supplies, he added. Markets will carry the
main burden of justifying any energy transportation projects,
but governments need to help, for example by facilitating
IGAs, HGAs, and conditions that minimize political risk.
Ambassador noted that some policies, like the EU's
anti-monopoly policy that may end up effectively barring the
import of Shah Deniz gas, need to be examined carefully.
Ambassador also pointed out that good governance and revenue
management are key.


7. (C) The British Ambassador emphasized similar themes,
adding that Britain is a consumer, transporter and producer
of energy and looks at the issue from all three perspectives.
The British Ambassador argued that energy security means
both security of supply and security of demand. He noted the
participation of Azebraijan in EITI and said that effective
management of energy revenues is the long-term way to manage
political risk.

--------------
AUSTRIA, EU RECEIVE THE MESSAGE
--------------


8. (C) The Austrian delegate cited the need for a new energy
policy for Europe, explicitly mentioning Ukraine's
difficulties with Russia and quoting Churchill's famous
remark that "safety and certainty in oil lie in variety
alone." He said that Europe needs links to the Caspian. The
European Commission representative echoed this and said that
the EU is now "very aware" of Caspian energy resources. The
EU is developing a comprehensive energy policy and will
likely present it in March.


9. (C) At the end of the program, the MFA presented a
"concept paper" which restated most of what was said during
the conference: that European demand for energy is growing,
that the Caspian region has energy resources, and that there
is an opportunity for Caspian energy resources to be part of
the diversification of European energy supplies. Deputy
Foreign Minister Azimov suggested that the group meet again
during the Caspian Oil and Gas Show (COGS) in Baku in June,
and that there be another session in Kazakhstan in November.
Although a session had been scheduled for the next morning,
by mutual consensus it was canceled. The political statement
initially included in the agenda was not discussed.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


10. (C) Industry was almost entirely absent. However, the
conference showed that despite Azerbaijan's perceived
inaction on energy policy (reftel),at least some elements of
the GOAJ are continuing to push the idea of bringing Caspian
energy to European and world markets beyond the current plans

BAKU 00000327 003 OF 003


for the BTC oil pipeline and the SCP gas pipeline.
Privately, Araz Azimov noted that he had hoped a reminder
about Caspian energy would resonate at this moment, when
Europe is dealing with the aftermath of Ukraine's problems
with Gazprom. The reactions of the Austrian and EC
representatives would seem to indicate some success. We
should encourage Azerbaijan to follow up with this during
COGS 2006 and to reach out to industry.
HARNISH